Porter has lost a total of 10 teeth and the Tooth Fairy has never set foot in our house. Correction, the Tooth Fairy (who lives in our house and pretty much every other house) has never left him a cent. Why has Porter never benefited from the benevolence of the Tooth Fairy? Is it because he knows the true identity of the Tooth Fairy? Is it because the Tooth Fairy at our house leaves other material goodies? Is it for any other reason? Hmmmm, let’s take a closer look.
Porter’s first teeth didn’t come in until he was 8 months old. At 10 months old he got two more, and it seemed to continue that way, a couple of teeth every couple of months, until they were all in. Parker was all gums until he was 15 months old. Waiting for his first tooth seemed to take forever! But then, within just a few months he had a mouthful, including some VERY sharp ones.
Porter was also just a little late to start losing teeth, but still within the realm of typical. He lost his first one when he was 6 years old, right before he started first grade. He absolutely refused to put the tooth under his pillow. He said that he didn’t want the Tooth Fairy coming into his room at night. From first grade until just recently Porter has lost a total of 8 teeth.
Once when eating pizza I noticed blood on his mouth. I took a closer look and saw that it was coming from his gums where he just lost a tooth. We went up to the bathroom to clean him up. We also looked for the tooth, but never found it. Maybe he swallowed it. I offered to help him write a note to the Tooth Fairy, but he wasn’t having any of that! Instead, he just went right back to eating his pizza.
Another time I was brushing his teeth before bed when I noticed a new space where a tooth had been just that morning. It was a tooth I hadn’t even realized was very loose. I asked Porter about it, he said it fell out of his mouth when he was outside at school. And again, he wasn’t at all disappointed that there would be no tooth to put under his pillow.
Every time he lost a tooth, he made sure it wasn’t anywhere near his room. Even after hearing stories from his friends and classmates about the money they received, he was still not convinced. Maybe he’s living a little too comfortably. We pretty much let it be, not forcing the issue because we definitely did not want to add to the anxiety, phobias, and obsessive/compulsive behaviors that were already a part of his bedtime routine.
Porter was also just a little late to start losing teeth, but still within the realm of typical. He lost his first one when he was 6 years old, right before he started first grade. He absolutely refused to put the tooth under his pillow. He said that he didn’t want the Tooth Fairy coming into his room at night. From first grade until just recently Porter has lost a total of 8 teeth.
Once when eating pizza I noticed blood on his mouth. I took a closer look and saw that it was coming from his gums where he just lost a tooth. We went up to the bathroom to clean him up. We also looked for the tooth, but never found it. Maybe he swallowed it. I offered to help him write a note to the Tooth Fairy, but he wasn’t having any of that! Instead, he just went right back to eating his pizza.
Another time I was brushing his teeth before bed when I noticed a new space where a tooth had been just that morning. It was a tooth I hadn’t even realized was very loose. I asked Porter about it, he said it fell out of his mouth when he was outside at school. And again, he wasn’t at all disappointed that there would be no tooth to put under his pillow.
Every time he lost a tooth, he made sure it wasn’t anywhere near his room. Even after hearing stories from his friends and classmates about the money they received, he was still not convinced. Maybe he’s living a little too comfortably. We pretty much let it be, not forcing the issue because we definitely did not want to add to the anxiety, phobias, and obsessive/compulsive behaviors that were already a part of his bedtime routine.
Last week he had teeth numbers 9 and 10 pulled at the dentist office. His baby teeth just aren’t leaving fast enough. I didn’t tell him he was getting his teeth pulled. I didn’t want to give him a chance to develop anxiety over it. After we got in the car to go get some lunch, I told him we were going to see the dentist. He asked why, I told him the dentist wanted to look at his teeth. I actually didn’t tell him he was getting his teeth pulled until after it happened. Porter has difficulty opening wide and also has other mouth sensitivities that we thought would make this process difficult. The procedure went surprisingly well; even the dentist thought it was better than expected.
This happened to be Porter’s first experience with laughing gas. He enjoyed it a lot, too much. When the hygienist came in Porter asked her where she bought the laughing gas and told her he wanted it for his room. He said that he thought it would help him relax before bed and be better able to sleep. I’m not sure how I feel about his considering that as a solution to his anxiety / sleep issues. I’m also not sure if the next time he needs teeth pulled, that we will be able to pull it off as easily as this time.
This happened to be Porter’s first experience with laughing gas. He enjoyed it a lot, too much. When the hygienist came in Porter asked her where she bought the laughing gas and told her he wanted it for his room. He said that he thought it would help him relax before bed and be better able to sleep. I’m not sure how I feel about his considering that as a solution to his anxiety / sleep issues. I’m also not sure if the next time he needs teeth pulled, that we will be able to pull it off as easily as this time.
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